RESPIRATORY THERAPY – RESEARCH AND OVERVIEW

Most people are familiar with the concept of physiotherapy as a treatment for musculoskeletal injuries, joint pain and so on; however, few are aware of the role physios play in helping manage problems associated with poor lung health. In this talk the presenter will outline the role of the respiratory physiotherapist and discuss some of the research undertaken during her time as an academic respiratory physiotherapist.

It all began with Pulmonary rehabilitation! Pulmonary rehab is a programme of exercise and education offered to people with lung disease, generally Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) although increasingly it is offered to people with other conditions such as Bronchiectasis, Restrictive Lung Disease and Lung Cancers. Back in the late 90s the idea that exercise might be beneficial for people with respiratory disease was dismissed with the argument that patients, “were too ventilatory limited to be able to exercise at sufficient intensities to bring about change.” Over the proceeding decade many studies were instigated that set about disproving this theory, our team published several of these important landmark trials which will be discussed in this talk.

With better understanding of the ability for individuals with lung disease to exercise appreciation of the problems suffered by those with COPD developed the presenter’s PhD supervision led to investigation of many aspects of COPD. Rachel’s team were the first group to comprehensively consider the issues of fatigue in COPD; to evaluate the role of oxygen as a treatment option for COPD; to look in more depth at the way goal setting may influence rehabilitation outcomes and to consider the impact of inflammation on COPD and the role of exercise in combatting this.

The presenter’s research team has considered the role of exercise after curative surgery for lung cancer; in the management of multiple myeloma and as a treatment for fatigue in breast cancer survivors. More recently, they have investigated, in a randomised controlled trial, the effectiveness of physio and speech therapy treatment for chronic cough and explored issues affecting quality of life in people with bronchiectasis.

As well as delivering exercise physiotherapists are influential in teaching better breathing and Rachel will discuss the effectiveness of physiotherapy breathing retraining in the management of asthma, in addressing anxiety and panic attacks and how physiotherapists can even help people to stop smoking.

Rachel Garrod     Ph.D 

Respiratory Physiotherapist      Colegio de Fisioterapeutas (6968)

 M.Sc Post. Grad. Dip. Physiotherapy. PGC Teaching and Learning